Windows 11’s 24H2 update has brought fresh headaches for users, particularly those with Western Digital (WD) SSDs, as a new bug is causing systems to crash and trigger the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
Specifically, the issue seems to affect users of the WD SN770 and SN580 SSDs. Reports of crashes began surfacing a week ago, and the root cause appears to be linked to how these DRAM-less SSDs handle data in conjunction with the Windows 11 24H2 update.
What’s Causing the Blue Screen?
Western Digital’s SN770 and SN580 are DRAM-less SSDs, designed as more affordable options due to the absence of onboard DRAM.
While DRAM plays a crucial role in SSDs by storing metadata about files for quick access, DRAM-less SSDs rely on a feature known as Host Memory Buffer (HMB), which offloads this data to your system’s main memory.
Normally, these SSDs request 64 MB of memory for HMB usage, but with the latest 24H2 update, they are demanding up to 200 MB. This abnormal memory request overloads the system, leading to instability and the eventual BSOD crash.
DRAM-less SSDs are typically found in budget devices such as laptops or mobile devices. While they help conserve power and are more compact, the reliance on HMB introduces latency issues, particularly with read/write operations, and can cause instability—especially if the memory allocation is mismanaged.
The sudden increase in memory usage with the 24H2 update has turned this small flaw into a massive problem for some users.
User Experiences and Community Response
Users have been sharing their frustrations online, particularly on WD’s community forums. One user with an SN580 2TB SSD reported receiving multiple BSODs after updating to Windows 11 24H2.
Their event viewer displayed the error: “The driver detected a controller error on \Device\RaidPort1,” a sign of trouble that didn’t occur in previous Windows versions like 23H2. Despite updating the SSD’s firmware and checking drive health, the crashes persisted.
Another user, who bought a new pre-built PC with Windows 11 24H2 and a WD Blue SN580 SSD, reported similar problems, with crashes occurring frequently when using File Explorer or restarting the system.
The error logs showed the same Event ID 11, indicating an issue with stornvme and volmgr, further confirming the bug’s connection to the latest update.
These ongoing reports prompted one community member to share a temporary fix. According to their post, users can modify the Windows registry to disable HMB, which has worked for some users.
However, this workaround is unofficial, and many users are frustrated by the lack of communication from both Western Digital and Microsoft.
Is Microsoft to Blame?
Windows updates causing system issues is nothing new. Just a few years ago, the infamous Windows 10 April 2021 KB5001330 update brought a similar wave of crashes and performance drops, including BSODs.
While Microsoft has acknowledged the issue with the WD SSDs, and patches or firmware updates are expected, it’s unclear how many users are affected or how soon an official fix will arrive.
For now, those with affected SSDs can either attempt the registry fix or roll back to a previous version of Windows until a solution is made available.
However, this bug reminds users that even major OS updates can come with hidden surprises, often at the expense of system stability.
As Microsoft and Western Digital work on a fix, it remains to be seen whether more users with similar SSDs will face the same problems.
Until then, anyone experiencing crashes with their WD SN770 or SN580 SSD should stay tuned for updates and proceed with caution when installing future updates.